A microfluidic device comprises a first substrate and a second substrate, a gasket spacing the first substrate from the second substrate to define a fluid chamber between the first substrate and the second substrate, and at least one port for introducing a fluid sample into the fluid chamber. An inner edge face of the gasket defines a lateral boundary of the fluid chamber. A plurality of independently addressable array elements are provided on a surface of the first substrate facing the fluid chamber, and at least one circuit element is disposed on a surface of the second substrate facing the fluid chamber. The gasket is configured to provide a conductive path between a circuit element disposed on a surface of the second substrate facing the fluid chamber and an associated terminal.

Disclosed is a triboelectric nanogenerator-based biochemical droplet reaction device, which includes a reaction generating part and a power generation part. The power generation part includes a triboelectric component and a rectifier circuit. The triboelectric component includes a drive electrode, a substrate, a first friction electrode, a first friction material, a second friction material, and a second friction electrode arranged in sequence from top to bottom. A gap exists between the first friction material and the second friction material. The first friction electrode is connected to the first friction material. The second friction electrode is connected to the second friction material. The drive electrode, the first friction electrode, and the second friction electrode are all connected to the rectifier circuit. Also disclosed is a reaction method.

This invention provides compositions and methods for detecting differences in copy number of a target polynucleotide. In some cases, the methods and compositions provided herein are useful for diagnosis of fetal genetic abnormalities, when the starting sample is maternal tissue (e.g., blood, plasma). The methods and materials described apply techniques for allowing detection of small, but statistically significant, differences in polynucleotide copy number.

A method of manipulating microdroplets having an average volume in the range 0.5 femtolitres to 10 nanolitres comprised of at least one biological component and a first aqueous medium having a water activity of a.sub.w1 of less than 1 is provided. It is characterised by the step of maintaining the microdroplets in a water-immiscible carrier fluid which further includes secondary droplets having an average volume less than 25% of the average volume of the microdroplets up to and including a maximum of 4 femtolitres and wherein the volume ratio of carrier fluid to total volume of microdroplets per unit volume of the total is greater than 2:1. The method may be employed for example with microdroplets containing biological cells or with microdroplets containing single nucleoside phosphate such as are prepared in a droplet-based nucleic acid sequencer. The method is suitable

A portable diagnostic device has a lysate stage (167) with a port for receiving a sample and containing magnetic beads with a probe, and an outlet port. A series of assay stages (161-164) are linked with the lysate vessel, each with a reservoir linked by channels. The final stage (164) has a sensor (169) for detecting beads attached to analyte molecules which have been conveyed according to attachment to probes on beads. Larger transport beads cause reporter beads which are tethered by target NA and probes to be transported to the final sensor stage, where they are released and detected when the transport beads have been removed.

Embodiments include microfluidic devices and related methods. A microfluidic device for producing microbubbles may include a first microfluidic channel for supplying a continuous phase fluid, the first microfluidic channel including a convergent section and a constant-width section downstream from the convergent section, wherein the constant-width section discharges into a junction; a second microfluidic channel for supplying a dispersed phase fluid, the second microfluidic channel including an orthogonal section oriented orthogonal to the constant-width section, wherein the orthogonal section discharges into the junction; and a third microfluidic channel for conveying produced microbubbles, the third microfluidic channel including a divergent section, wherein the junction discharges into the divergent section.

Provided are a method and a device for encapsulating a cell in droplet for single-cell analysis, or a method and a device for forming droplet for single-cell analysis. According to the method and the device of one aspect, by using the effects of inertial ordering, not only a ratio at which one cell is encapsulated in one droplet is increased, but also a yield of generating droplet is improved.

Method of analysis. In the method, a first emulsion and a second emulsion substantially separated from one another by a spacer fluid may be formed. The first emulsion, the spacer fluid, and the second emulsion may be flowed in a channel from a fluid inlet to a fluid outlet of a heating and cooling station having two or more temperature-controlled zones, such that each emulsion is thermally cycled to promote amplification of a nucleic acid target in droplets of the emulsion. Amplification data may be collected from individual droplets of each emulsion downstream of the heating and cooling station. A level of the nucleic acid target present in each emulsion may be determined based on the amplification data collected from the individual droplets of the emulsion.

A microfluidic device can include a microfluidic circuit that comprises an inlet port, a reagent-containing chamber configured to receive fluid from the inlet port, a non-aqueous-liquid-containing reservoir configured to receive liquid from the chamber, and a droplet-generating region configured to receive and produce droplets of liquid from the reservoir. The circuit can also include first and second valves or frangible members. The first valve or frangible member can have closed position in which fluid is prevented from entering or exiting the chamber therethrough and an open position in which fluid is permitted to enter or exit the chamber therethrough. The second valve or frangible member can have a closed position in which fluid is prevented from flowing between the chamber and the reservoir therethrough and an open position in which fluid is permitted to flow between the chamber and the reservoir therethrough.

Described herein are systems relating to a continuous-flow instrument that includes all necessary components for digital droplet quantification without the need to introduce key reagents or collect and transfer droplets between stages of instrument operation. Digital quantification can proceed without any additional fluid or consumable handling and without exposing fluids to risk of external contamination.